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OTHER BODIES IN THE SPACE
THE MOON One of the most beautiful things in the night sky is also the easiest to see: the Moon. Nearly everyone has seen the Moon and noticed how it changes shape each month, sometimes appearing full and bright, other times disappearing altogether. When ancient peoples of all cultures saw the Moon cycle, they did not understand it, so they invented myths. While these myths are still fun to read, humans have now walked on the Moon, flown around it, and learned what really causes its fascinating phases andoccasional eclipses. When you look up at the night sky and see the moon, have you ever wondered "What is it made of? How didit get there?" If you have, you are not alone. Scientists are still trying to answer these questions. The moon is considered a satellite. Except for Mercury and Venus, all of the planets have natural satellites, called moons. Earth's moon is called Luna. How the moon was formed has been studied and thought about for many years. The current theory is The Giant Impact Theory, which is believed by most scientists. This theory proposes that a large, Mars-sized object collided with the Earth while the Earth was still forming; the collision was so strong that part of the Earth's mantle was blasted into orbit around Earth, forming the moon. This theory explains why the lunar rocks brought back from the Apollo mission have the same composition as the Earth's mantle. LUNAR AND SOLAR ECLIPSES Understanding the processes that cause Moon phases and eclipses can be difficult, since it requires understanding light and shadow, and being able to imagine points of view that we never experience on Earth. Many people have the misconception that the phases of the Moon are caused by the earth's shadow across the Moon. This is not true. When the shadow of Earth moves across the Moon, we call it a lunar eclipse. When the Moon moves between Earth and the Sun, it casts a small shadow on Earth, and people inside that shadow see a solar eclipse. Both these events are rare, happening only about every 6 months. In other words, a lunar eclipse is when the Earth is exactly between the Moon and the Sun so none of the Sun's rays can hit the moon. A solar eclipse is when the moon exactly blocks the Sun's rays from hitting the Earth. A lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere on the dark side of the Earth. A solar eclipse can only be seen from certain places on Earth as the moon only blocks the sun for a small area. Solar Eclipses always happen during the new moon phase. The Moon's shadow actually has two parts: 1. Penumbra § The Moon's faint outer shadow. § Partial solar eclipses are visible from within the penumbral shadow. 2. Umbra § The Moon's dark inner shadow. § Total solar eclipses are visible from within the umbral shadow. When the Moon's penumbral shadow strikes Earth, we see a partial eclipse of the Sun from that region. Partial eclipses are dangerous to look at because the un-eclipsed part of the Sun is still very bright. You must use special filters or a home-made pinhole projector to safely watch a partial eclipse of the Sun MOON PHASES Moon phases are the result of the Moon's own shadow -- like Earth, only one half of the body is lit at a time. Sometimes the lit side is pointed toward Earth, and we see the reflected light. Sometimes the shadow or night side is pointed toward Earth, and we only see a crescent Moon. When the entire unlit side is toward Earth, we experience a New Moon and can see no Moon at all. The phases of the moon starting with the New Moon are: In the following podcast you will find interesting information about the moon: Since I cannot include the podcast in this platform, I share with you the link where you will be able to download it. https://www.universetoday.com/20863/podcast-the-moon-part-1/ Listen to it and share your opinion with us in the comments! <= Go to previous page [1][2]3[4] Go to next page =>